PHILADELPHIA — Butler, the new kids on the Atlantic 10 block as coach Brad Stevens likes to call his team, never flinched in its conference opener Wednesday night, even though Saint Joseph’s was poised to show why the coaches picked the Hawks as the preseason favorite to win the A-10 title.

Nor did the 14th-ranked Bulldogs get caught up in the atmosphere at Hagan Arena, which was at a fever pitch as the Hawk faithful filled the gym to see if Saint Joseph’s could live up to its preseason billing.

Butler went about its business in a methodical manner, which is the way the Bulldogs have done things since Stevens took over six years ago.

Play hard and stick with the game plan.

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It helps that two of the guys making the on-court decisions are Rotnei Clarke and Andrew Smith, who torched the Hawks for 52 points in Butler’s 72-66 triumph over Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams.

Clarke, a transfer from Arkansas, burned the Hawks for 28 points, 15 in the second half as the Bulldogs (13-2 overall, 1-0 A-10) erased a 40-35 halftime deficit and climbed out of a 56-52 hole to make Butler’s A-10 debut a success and extend the team’s winning streak to 10 games.

The 6-0 senior did not do it alone. When Clarke wasn’t burying 3-pointers from City Ave., center Andrew Smith muscled his way inside for 24 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hawks (8-5, 0-1) were good enough to open up a seven-point lead three times in the first half, take a five-point advantage into the locker room at halftime and enjoy a four-point edge with a little over nine minutes to play. What Saint Joseph’s could not survive was Butlers smother defense on leading scorers Carl Jones and Langston Galloway or a nearly nine minute stretch in the second half without a field goal.

Saint Joe’s tried. Chris Wilson, who came into the game with seven 3-point field goals, hit five triples in the first half to lead the Hawks with 15 points.

“That’s the hottest start I ever had, but it doesn’t mean anything because we lost,” Wilson said.

Wilson was able to break free early because the Butler defense was focused squarely on stopping Jones and Galloway, who came into the game averaging a combined 30 points per game. It was an effective strategy. The Bulldogs held Jones to seven points and Galloway to 11.

In the final 10 minutes, though, Butler made all the right decisions, offensively and defensively. Wilson, who was 5-for-7, all from 3-point range, in the first half and had just one field goal attempt in the final 20 minutes. C.J. Aiken (13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks) and Ronald Roberts (12 points, nine boards and four blocks) tried to pick up the slack, but they were no match for Clarke and Smith.

The duo scored 14 of Butler’s final 18 points, starting with fifth of Clarke’s six 3-pointers, which gave the Bulldogs a 57-56 lead they would not relinquish. That three ignited a 7-0 run that put Butler firmly in control.

Butler doesn’t just do it on the offensive end. While Clarke and Smith where putting on a 1-2 punch clinic, the Bulldogs were able to hold Saint Joe’s without a field goal for a 9:05 stretch in the second half. Even when the Hawks had open looks they could not get shots to fall.

Galloway missed two straight wide-open 3-pointers with the Bulldogs clinging to a 70-66 lead. Roberts, Aigen and Halil Kanacevic missed shots from in close several times throughout the game.

While the Hawks struggled, the Bulldogs stayed cool, knowing things would eventually go their way as long as they stayed the course.

“They’re extremely disciplined,” Wilson said. “They run their stuff, they play extremely hard and they play together and they play together the whole game. That’s the main thing I noticed, how they play together the whole game. They’re really good.”

Church Farm School grad Daniel Ochefu added 12 points for Villanova (11-4, 2-0 Big East), which has won seven in a row.

South Florida (9-5, 0-2) got 12 points from Victor Rudd. The Bulls had won the four previous games between the programs, including all three last season.

Ryan Arcidiacono, the Big East Rookie of the Week, gave Villanova a 46-32 lead on his first basket of the game, a 3-pointer, midway through the second half. The freshman, averaging 13 points, finished with five points.

Pinkston’s layup made it 48-32 one minute after Arcidiacono’s basket.

Rudd connected on a 3 to cut the South Florida deficit to 49-41 with 7 minutes remaining. Villanova quickly responded on baskets by Yarou and Ochefu to make it 53-41

After trailing by 18 early in the second half, South Florida got within 42-30 on a pair of free throws by Rudd with 13 minutes to play. It was the first bucket of the game for Rudd, who entered averaging a team-best 11.5 points.

South Florida point guard Anthony Collins had 11 points.

Ochefu had 10 points as Villanova grabbed a 34-20 halftime lead.

The Wildcats took a 29-14 advantage 2 minutes before intermission on a long-range jumper by Achraf Yacoubou. Two free throws by Yarou extended the Villanova lead to 34-17.

Darrun Hilliard made a 3-pointer and Pinkston had a put-back basket to put Villanova up 13-6 with 13 minutes left in the opening half.